In A Different Time
by Chasyn
Summary: Kelly breaks Ed's heart. Gordon wants to make his friend forget. Then they accidently fall in love along the way. (Ed/Gordon, gay characters, language, implied sexual scenes, slight Kelly bashing in the beginning, but she's cool later.)
1. Penises, Xelayan Tequila & Giggles

The Orville. Ed/Gordon. I haven't seen the last couple episodes of season 2, but I know the basics of the season finality, with the alternate universe in which the union was destroyed or whatever because Kelly said no to Ed. XD (I will watch it sooooon. Work has been killing me.) But anyways... 8D I've wanted to write something with these two since I first saw the show. Cuz I just loved the idea of them together but thought I was alone. Anyways... here we go! Sorta the series as if Kelly indeed turned Ed down and then he and Gordon got it on.

**In A Different Time  
****Chapter 1: Penises, Xelayan Tequila & Giggles**

They stumbled over each other, laughing and rolling and grabbing at each other. It was almost 3 am and they were both trying to be quiet. They both _knew_ they should be quiet. It was 3 am, after all. And didn't they have classes in the morning? Well... in a few hours, actually. There might have been an exam in one of them, for one of them. But the bottle of Xelayan tequila they'd stolen from Admiral Kaysen's hover car had gone down smooth and the empty bottle had been stashed under another vehicle. The alcoholic drink was stronger than either of them were used to and they continued through the dormitory in a fit of hushed giggles.

Gordon was the first to the door. He tripped over nothing before he reached it and landed with a laugh at the foot of the door. Ed tried to step over him but ended up tripping as well and landed on top of his friend. Both giggled again as they attempted to untangle themselves and pull apart. More giggles and rolling around in the hall followed until they managed to get closer to their door. They both reached for the door scanner at the same time but Gordon was a second quicker. He giggled again as he grabbed for Ed's hand. He pulled on his friend and Ed laughed and tried to pull away. But he leaned too far back and lost his balance. And banged loudly into the wall.

Gordon's eyes widened as he looked at his friend. "Ed!" He practically giggled the name out.

"Shhh!" Ed said with a giggle, lifting his hands up. He touched a finger to his lips and thumped his head back against the wall with more of the alien alcohol induced giggles.

Gordon fell back against the door, rocking a bit from the laughter. He lifted his hand above his hand and flailed a bit. Finally, he managed to touch his hand to the scanner. The door slid open and the boys wrested and rolled until they tumbled into their room. The door slid shut behind them and they both burst out into louder, full bodied laughter.

Ed was on the floor, in the center of the room. He was still laughing as he leaned back, pressing his palms flat against the floor. "I can't believe you did that, Gord." He said, trying to catch his breath between the giggles.

Gordon was on the couch, a few feet away. He snorted and shook his head. "It was your idea to steal the tequila." He said, leaning back against the couch.

"No." Ed said, shaking his head. "Not that." He said with a giggle. "You drawing a penis on Admiral Kaysen's car."

Gordon shrugged and tilted his head back, looking up at the ceiling. "I draw a lot of penises on a lot of things." He pointed upwards, at a very detailed drawing of a penis, done in permanent markers on said ceiling.

Ed followed Gordon's gaze and giggled again and shook his head. "Exactly! He's gonna know it was you."

Gordon snorted again and slid off the couch, onto the floor. "It's art."

Ed snickered and stuck out his tongue. "Art?"

"Yes." Gordon said, nodding his head. "Penis art. Plus you dared me!"

Ed's mouth dropped open for a moment. "Cuz I didn't think you'd do it!"

Gordon shrugged again as he drug himself across the floor. He flopped down beside Ed and threw his arms back against the floor, above his head. "That pointy eared, wrinkly foreheaded guy ain't gonna do anything." He mumbled.

Ed laughed again and laid back on the floor beside his friend. He breathed out and closed his eyes for a moment. "Damn. Shit's strong." He mumbled out.

"Yeah." Gordon agreed, nodding his head. "I'm horny." He said abruptly. "Are you horny? Fuck, this shit's making me horny."

Ed let out a laugh as he lifted his hand to palm at the obvious tent in his slacks. He hadn't exactly realized it until Gordon mentioned it. But now that he had, Ed's mind was suddenly on the pretty blonde from the other night. A first date that he thought had went so well. He couldn't wait to call her the next morning. But she'd just shot him down. "Hard as a rock." He said and then giggled loudly. "Shit, I said that out loud."

Gordon let out a laugh and rolled over on his side. "Nah, it's cool." He said, watching his friend. Ed got quiet for a second, the giggles suddenly gone, and heaved out a sigh. And Gordon knew exactly who Ed was thinking about. That bitch Kelly, who had blown him off a few hours ago. That was what prompted breaking into the admiral's hanger in the first place. Ed was devastated over the rejection and Gordon was determined to make the man forget. Because honestly, Kelly was a bitch and Gordon had no clue what had possessed her to turn Ed down. Gordon watched for a moment longer. He didn't want to give Ed anymore time to think about the heartless bitch. He reached out and smack's Ed's hand away. Then Gordon rolled over and lifted his leg as he awkwardly and rather ungracefully straddled his friend's waist.

Ed opened his eyes and let out a strangled moan at the friction as Gordon brushed against him. "Shiiiit." He breathed out for a moment and binked his eyes up at his best friend. "Gord..." He started.

Gordon shifted himself, grinding down against Ed's crotch. It was an effective way to silence the brunette. Gordon bent forward slightly and closed his eyes as a moan escaped his lips. It morphed into a fit of giggles and he rocked back a bit.

"Fuck, Gord." Ed threw his head back against the floor and bit his lip.

Gordon recovered enough for a moment, enough to put on a straight face. "If you want." He said in a serious tone. "If you're up for it." He added, tiling his head. "And I feel like you are." He kept the straight face for a split second longer. Then Ed smiled and both erupted into giggles again. Gordon dipped forward and pressed his lips against Ed's. Gordon's stubble rubbed against his chin and Ed thought he was okay with that. He thought he liked the rough way Gordon grabbed his hands and pinned them to the floor above his head. Then there was a foreign tongue in his mouth, sliding against his, and all thoughts of the pretty blonde with blue eyes and soft lips were gone from his mind.

The rest of the night, or morning rather, was a blur. Clothes were yanked and ripped off, then thrown around the room. Giggles and moans and grunts filled the small space. And then shortly they were replaced with snores as both passed out, sprawled half on top of each other, intertwined in the center of their living room.

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

**Author's Notes:** This little idea has morphed into a larger story line, with a sequel. XD I'll probably keep the chapters short, so I can hopefully update often. But there should be lots of those short chapters! 8D


	2. Alarms, Drool & Exams

**In A Different Time  
Chapter 2: Alarms, Drool & Exams**

Brweeee.

_Brweeee._

Brweeee. Brweeee. _Brweeee._

The annoying, monotone buzz was slowly getting louder. Or maybe it wasn't. Maybe he was just slowly waking up. _Way too slowly._ Because he was still very much asleep. And he really didn't want to wake up anymore. He just wanted to stay exactly where he was, wherever he was, and sleep. For just a few more hours. Or maybe a few days.

Brweeee.

But there was something nagging at him in the back of his mind as the buzz started to penetrate the fog that was his mind.

_Brweeee._ Brweeee.

He was certain there was a reason he was supposed to be up. There was probably a reason for the annoying, sleep hating buzzer. There had to be! Because he wouldn't set an alarm without a reason. Gordon might, and then laugh. Maybe it was Gordon. Maybe the redhead was paying some lame joke. Or something.

Brweeee.

But as the minutes ticked by and the alarm continued to go off, Ed began to become aware of several things. First was the pounding in his head. Had they been out drinking? Probably. They were always out drinking. Maybe they had a problem. Maybe they should slow down. But they were still young and both were still best in their classes. So he didn't really care.

Brweeee.

Second was the hard floor beneath him. Obviously he wasn't in his bed. Or even his bedroom. He had a thick, plush carpet beside his bed. Because he'd fallen out of bed too many times and just slept on the floor. But why wasn't he in his bed? Or hell, even on the carpet on the floor? He'd definitely drunk too much if he passed out on the living room floor.

Brweeee.

Third, and what really should have been first, was the weight against and half on him. An arm across him. Legs intertwined with his. A very loud, snoring head against his bare chest. He knew it was Gordon instantly. He could feel the scratchy hairs of his bread against him. And he was pretty sure said friend was drooling on him a bit. And he was very aware of how naked they both were. And then vague memories from the last several hours came to him.

_Brweeee._

Including the meaning of the incessant noise. Because they had a very important exam today. Early. This morning. "Fuck." Ed breathed out and finally opened his eyes fully. He blinked in the darkness. "Lights." He said, his throat a bit raw and scratchy. The lights snapped on and Ed quickly snapped his eyes shut. That was way too bright! But bright was probably good. Because he needed to be up. They both needed to be up. "Time?"

"8:23." A robotic voice answered.

That woke him up. Ed snapped up, pushing Gordon off him. Gordon flopped over and let out a groan. Ed quickly adverted his eyes and stood up. "Gordon." He said loudly. "Wake up."

Gordon yawned widely and stretched his arms up over his head as he sat up. He tilted his head to the side, stretching his neck. Then he looked over at Ed and frowned. "You're naked." He stated, a bit surprised.

Ed glanced back, his face red, and quickly looked away again. "You are, too." He mumbled. Then he practically ran from the room, towards his.

Gordon frowned for a moment, watching. Then he shrugged slightly and became aware of the slight pain in his ass and weakness in his legs. "Huh." That was new. He shrugged again to himself and slowly stood up. He wavered a bit for a moment and put his arms out to steady himself.

"We're a half hour late for our exam." Ed called out.

Gordon's eyes widened. "Shit!"

Ten minutes later and both boys were showered, dressed in their uniforms, and hastily drinking an awful hangover cure that they specifically told the food synthesizer _not_ to tell them what was in it. Because honestly, having a raging hangover had to be better than chugging down whatever that evil thing had concocted for them. But they both still downed the horrid drinks in entirety and then were racing out the door and down the hall. They skirted around the corner and nearly collided with a Moclan and a human, chatting idly in the hall. Ed slowed to apologize to the men but Gordon grabbed his hand and tugged him down the hall with a shouted sorry. They didn't have time to stop. They were now well over a half hour late.

Gordon stumbled onto the elevator behind Ed and leaned against the wall as his friend hit the buttons. He took a deep breath and gripped the handrail tightly. His legs were still a bit shaky and he really wanted to sit down. Gently. _"Fuck me."_ He mumbled under his breath.

Ed's eyes widened a bit and he pointedly looked at the floor as the elevator zipped off. He wasn't going to say anything. He was probably never going to say anything. Ever again. Because he was beyond mortified. It wasn't the whole sex with a guy thing. That he really didn't care about. It wasn't something he'd done before but from what he remembered, he certainly hadn't minded. He hadn't stopped. He hadn't even hesitated at all! Not for a single second! Well maybe for a second. Because it was _Gordon!_ Gordon, his _best_ friend! His awkward-with-girls, inappropriate, penis drawing, probably alcoholic friend. Gordon, who was always there for him, who helped him study and kept him motivated with telling him how awesome he was. Gordon, who always was up for distracting him when there was something on Ed's mind. Gordon, who the moment Ed came home crying about Kelly (because yeah, he cried), Gordon had called her a stuck up bitch and suggested they go break into the Admiral's hanger.

Gordon cleared his throat loudly.

Ed glanced over at him for a second and quickly looked back at the very interesting floor. On which, in the corner, was doodled a small penis. He had no clue when Gordon had done that. Ed was pretty sure he hadn't been with him for it.

"Hey... uh... Ed..." Gordon scratched at the back of his neck awkwardly as he started and paused. "Uh... you... okay?"

Ed nodded his head quickly, his eyes still on the tiny penis in the corner and his face red. No, he wasn't okay. But he wasn't going to think about it now. They had an exam to beg for. Because it was a great possibility they wouldn't be allowed to take it or retake it and would tank the whole year. And that was certainly more important than the maybe butterflies he was feeling in his stomach right then.

"Ed." Gordon said the name louder and reached out to touch his shoulder. But Ed turned slightly and shied away from the touch. Gordon frowned and pulled his hand back. He held both up and shrugged. "Hey, man. It's cool." He said quickly. "We can uh... just forget it ever happened."

Ed glanced up at him. "We can?"

Gordon nodded and leaned back against the wall again. "Nothing happened." He said, nodding again. "Just uh... got drunk and... uh..." Gordon shrugged again and dropped his gaze to the floor. "Wanted to make you forget about _her._" He sneered, mumbling under his breath. He wouldn't even say her name. Because he hated her. And maybe he was just a _little_ jealous.

Ed stared at Gordon a moment longer, as the elevator came to a stop. The doors open and he breathed out and shook his head. "Nothing _happened_." He repeated, a slight edge to his voice. "That's all it was to you. Just a drunken way to get me to stop crying." He turned towards the door and stomped out, making a bit more noise than necessary.

Gordon's mouth dropped open and he blinked for a few several seconds as Ed's retreating form left his periphery. "The fuck..." He recovered and hurried off the elevator. "Wait! Ed!"

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

**Author's Notes:** 8D Chapter 2! Yay! Omg! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW EXCITED I AM!


	3. Asteroids, Krill and Quesadillas

8D

**In A Different Time  
Chapter 3: Asteroids, Krill, and Quesadillas**

There was an explosion behind them. The ship rocked and the bridge crew gripped tightly to various pieces of equipment and chairs, trying to stay put. Ed himself practically pitched forward. But he kept put in the captain's chair. He gritted his teeth and shook his head. This wasn't going very well. Their shield was almost destroyed. "Damnit, we need to get them off our ass. Engineering!" He called, pressing the communication buttons on his keypad.

"Yeah?" Answered a voice.

"The shield can't take another hit like that." He said.

"Yeah, we know." The man answered. "Working on it, Captain."

"Can you repair it?" Ed asked.

"No, sir." The man answered quickly. "Not without taking it offline."

"How long?"

There was a pause. "5 minutes, minimum. Probably closer to 10 to get it back to 100%."

Ed nodded and glanced at Gordon. "Okay. Do that. Divert all power to the engines."

"Uh... okay." The voice said, a bit shakily. "Will do."

"Gordon... uh... Helmsman Malloy." Ed correctly quickly. "I want you to get us away from them. Keep us out of range of their weapons for at least 10 minutes."

A smile spread across Gordon's face as he turned back to his terminal. "All power to the engines. Here we go." He glanced sideways at the Navigator beside him. "This is so cool!" He whispered to her.

"Don't talk to me." She said, not lifting her eyes off her terminal. A pretty humanoid, with light purple skin and darker purple hair.

Gordon nodded slowly. "Sure." His fingers started flying over his terminal, his eyes never leaving the viewing screen. The ship turned upwards tightly and made a tight circle around the Krill battle cruiser. Gordon may be a lot of things. Alcoholic, immature, dimwitted, juvenile, and loud where a few such words used by various people in the last 24 hours alone. But when it came down to his job, to his love of steering the ship, he had laser focus and amazing abilities that couldn't be surpassed by anyone. There were reasons he was the best in his class, despite his other less than appealing attributes. "I call this Hugging the Donkey." He said as they continued to make the sharp circles.

The Navigator beside him, Alluette, rolled her eyes and shook her head. "There's a asteroid field up ahead." She said. "Be careful. We're drifting closer."

"Oh that's cool!" Gordon said with a wide smile. "That'll work."

She turned to frown at him. "What will work?"

Gordon smiled as he changed tactics. He pulled away from the Kill ship and turned them towards the asteroid field. Then he gunned the engines towards it.

Ed's eyes widened. "Gordon! What the hell are you doing?"

Gordon leaned back slightly and glanced over his shoulder. "Trust me! I have a plan." He said, not slowing.

"A plan." Ed repeated in a mocking tone, rolling his eyes.

"Pay attention!" Alluette snapped from beside him. She reached over and thumped Gordon in the back of the head. "Eyes on the road!"

Gordon snapped back towards her and glared. "No hitting!" He said. "Plus I'm awesome. I got this."

"You're not even looking!" She snapped.

"I'm looking enough." He countered.

Ed shook his head. "Helmsman Malloy, please take this seriously."

Gordon rolled his eyes and shook his head as he looked back at the viewing screen. What the hell? Since when did Ed not trust him? He was totally taking this seriously! Gordon knew exactly what he was doing as he weaved the ship through the very tight field. He swerved around the asteroids, as close as he could to them. The Krill battle cruiser was still behind them, but they slowed down significantly. A few small asteroids collided with their ship and Gordon smiled. The union ships were more agile. _He knew what he was doing._ Then he suddenly banked right sharply. "Kill the lights." He said, opening the channel to engineering. "Kill everything for a minute."

"Say what?" The voice asked.

"Do it." Ed said with a sigh. He didn't sound too thrilled about it. And he wasn't. He had no clue what Gordon was planning.

"Sure thing."

A few seconds later, the whole ship went dark. Gordon leaned farther over his terminal as he slowed the ship down to practically nothing. They were barely coasting along. He turned them again and they pulled alongside a rather large asteroid. It was easily twice the size of the ship and effectively hid it.

"The Krill ship passed us." Alluette said in disbelief. She shook her head and leaned over her terminal. "I'm going to scramble our frequency."

Gordon leaned back in his seat, smiling. He folded his arms behind his head, looking rather pleased with himself. "Told you I got it."

She rolled her eyes. "We're hiding." She said flatly. "That isn't a plan. They'll come back."

"I got a plan." Gordon reiterated.

"Yeah?" Ed said loudly from his seat. "What?"

"Trust me, Ed." Gordon said.

"Captain." Ed corrected sourly.

Gordon frowned again, watching Ed in the very dim emergency bridge lights. He could feel the tension. From the moment they stepped on the bridge. Actually, from the moment they stepped off the elevator earlier. Ed hadn't waited for him the hall. Ed hadn't even looked at him! Not once since they left the elevator and weaved through the halls. And on the bridge, Ed was acting as if Gordon was just some lowly green Ensign, who didn't know anything. "I can't do this." Gordon lifted his hands, rather dramatically, and spun around fully in his chair. "Ed!"

"Captain." Ed corrected again.

Gordon shook his head as he stood up. He stepped closer to Ed, striding across the bridge.

Ed frowned for a moment and straightened up in his seat. "Helmsman Malloy, back to your station." He said, his voice cracking a bit.

Gordon ignored him. "I only said what I said in the elevator cuz I thought you were freaking out."

Ed's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open slightly. "We uh... can discuss that matter later, Helmsman Malloy. Return to your station."

"No!" Gordon said, stepping closer.

"Gordon..."

"No." He hissed lowly. "Fuck this."

Ed's eyes widened more. "Gordon!"

Gordon shrugged slightly and tilted his head. "Okay, so... yeah." He ignored Ed as he tried to get his thoughts out. "It like... happened cuz that stuck up bitch was a stuck up bitch." He paused for a second and tilted his head the other way. "Well... not exactly because... I mean... like... then. It happened _then_ cuz her." He said, trying to stress the word. "You know what I mean?"

"Gordon..."

"Like it wasn't bad or something." He shook his head. "Although I was pretty drunk. But we both were." He correctly quickly. "But I wasn't _that_ drunk. Like it wasn't _bad_." He wasn't explaining himself right. He knew he wasn't. But he was a jumbled mess of nerves and he was having trouble processing. He just wanted Ed to understand that he didn't regret it, that he didn't regret _Ed_.

Ed let out a sigh and shook his head. He leaned his elbow on his chair and rubbed at his forehead. Why Gordon was choosing this exact moment, in front of so many people, to bumble his way through whatever he was trying to say, Ed had no idea. He couldn't have waited until afterwards? "Gord..." He said the nickname softly.

"I thought you were freaking out!" Gordon said, slightly louder.

Ed sighed again, louder, his whole body heaving with the movement. He ran his hand over his face slowly and glanced up at his friend for a moment. Then he pulled his hand away and let it fall to his lap. His eyes dropped to the floor as he spoke. "I was... a little..." He admitted softly. "But... for others reasons... than the obvious."

"Ah. Gotcha." Gordon said slowly, nodding his head. "Cool. Okay... so... cool." He nodded again.

"Okay. Hello?" Alluette waved her hands in the air from her seat. She was glaring at the two of them. "If you two girls are done, can we _please_ get back to not getting killed by the Krill battle cruiser now?"

Ed sat up straighter in his chair and nodded his head. "Right, right. Lieutenant Alluette is correct."

Gordon crossed his arms. "Why does she outrank me?"

"Because I'm taking this seriously!" She snapped. "And I wasn't late. Now get back here!"

Gordon turned slightly and glared at her. "You're not my boss."

She stared at him blankly for a moment. "You just said I outrank you!"

Gordon stuck his tongue out at her.

"Helmsman Malloy." Ed said loudly.

Gordon ducked down a bit as he turned back to Ed. "Yes, Captain?"

"Back to your station." Ed said sternly.

Gordon nodded and hurried back to his seat. He sat down and turned to Alluette. He leaned closer and started explaining his plan quickly. The purple Navigator rolled her eyes but leaned closer.

Ed breathed in deeply and exhaled it. That... could have gone worse. It could have gone a lot better, too, if it had happened anywhere and anytime else. And then there was suddenly a face in his periphery. Ed jerked back and blinked at her. "What?"

She was the XO, the commander sitting in the chair next to his. A human, from Earth. And she was suddenly very close and smiling widely. And annoyingly. "Very smooth." She said softly.

Ed's eyes narrowed into a glare. "Shut up, Ral! No one likes you." He hissed under his breath.

She let out a laugh and leaned back in her seat. "Whatever you say, _Captain_."

"Yes!" Ed snapped. "I'm the Captain! Everyone needs to listen to me!" There was a slight whine to his voice.

"Oh yes, _Captain_." Ral said in a mocking tone again. "Whining is very Captainy."

Ed glared sideways at her.

"Uh... Captain?" The Engineering guy called loudly from the sound system. "Sorry to interrupt whatever is going on up there."

Ed sighed deeply and leaned back in his chair. "No, you're not interrupting."

"Good." The guy said. "Because we're done. We've got the shield back at 100%."

"Gordon? Alluette?" Ed looked across the bridge at them. "You guys ready?"

"Sure." Gordon said.

Alluette rolled her eyes. "The Krill cruiser is back in range." She said. "Coming up pretty fast."

"Trajectory?"

Alluette put it up the screen. "I've got our frequency scrambled, bouncing off all the asteroids. It'll be impossible for them to locate us with their scanners."

"So what..." Ed shrugged slightly. "We just sit here and wait until they give up?"

Gordon tilted his head for a moment. "Well... yeah. That's an option." He said. "But not my plan."

"Which is?" Ed prompted.

"Battle cruiser is big." Gordon said. "And they aren't good in the asteroid field. So... like... we wait for them to pass us and we sneak out and fly up their ass and like fire everything we got."

"They'll be moving slower than us." Alluette continued. "We move into position behind them and target their weapons first."

"That's what I just said!" Gordon said loudly.

"A lot less eloquently."

Gordon blinked. "What?"

"You two stop fighting!" Ral snapped loudly, leaning forward a bit.

"Yes, yes." Ed nodded his head, from his seat beside her. "Let's get going."

Surprisingly enough, Gordon's plan went off great. They'd been able to sneak up on the Krill, catching them completely off guard. They took out the Krill's weapons before the ship even turned. The Krill sent out a few shuttles but the Union ship destroyed them quickly. When they finished, the Krill ship was practically in two pieces.

"Damage report?" Ed asked, leaning back in his seat.

"From the Krill?" Alluette turned in her seat, to look across the bridge. "Nothing. From Gordon ramming us into that large asteroid..."

"I was trying to avoid the shuttles!" Gordon snapped.

She smiled. "A small breach in deck 6. It's already been shut off and contained. And some facial damage to the hull there. But nothing we can't fix ourselves."

"Awesome." Ed smiled widely.

"Awesome?" Ral raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Ral. It's awesome." Ed said, not looking at her. "Someone hail the Krill ship."

"Channel open, Captain." Someone said.

"Krill ship." Ed said, speaking loudly and evenly. "This is Captain Ed Mercer, of the Union Ship... uh... El Quesadilla. You are trespassing in Xeleyan airspace and you were warned."

The white faced alien on the viewing screen glared. "Avis has deemed this area ours." He practically growled.

Ed frowned. Their interactions with the Krill were still new. He didn't think he'd heard that name before. "You may think so..." He started.

"I know so!" The Krill captain interrupted.

"Be that as it may..." Ed said evenly. "You attacked a Union planet. You and your... commanding officer are under arrest. If you surrender now and come willingly, we will tow your ship to the beginning of Krill space and let your crew go freely."

The Krill captain glared again and turned away. A second Krill man come in view and the two huddled together, conversing in whispers. After a moment, the captain turned back, not looking happy at all. Although, had anyone ever seen a smiling Krill? "We have no choice but to agree to your terms." He said. "You may send a shuttle over." The screen went black.

Ral leaned closer to Ed, a smile on her lips. "El Quesadilla?" She whispered.

"I panicked." Ed hissed back. "I forgot the name of the ship and I'm starving. Haven't eaten anything since... lunchtime yesterday." His statement was punctuated by a growl from his stomach.

"Clearly." Ral said with a smile. "The ship is the USS Constance."

"Fuck." Ed breathed out. "That's not even close. You think they'll dock points?"

Ral shrugged. "No clue."

"Ready a shuttle." Ed said, slipping out of his chair. He stood up and Ral followed, standing up beside him.

"Simulation terminated." A loud robotic voice announced.

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

**Author's Notes:** This chapter was a lot of fun! To try to plan and visualize. I'm not too good with spacey stuff. But I will try to get better with spacey stuffs. And OMG! I asked for a ship name earlier today while scribbling this. And my Child, Kaysen, said El Quesadilla. Which was not what I was looking for. XD


	4. Grades, Flowers & Nerves

I've had such a rough week and weekend and I just wanna crawl in a hole and die for a few hours. But hey! At least these boys made me smile for part of the day. 8D

**In A Different Time  
Chapter 4: Grades, Flowers & Nerves**

The ship around them dissolved quickly, leaving the ten participating cadets in the stark, gray simulator room. Ed always found it a bit disconcerting. The simulations always seemed so real. From the ship itself, to whatever challenge or enemy was put in front of them. The sounds and feel of it, all around him. It was so real! And then it just stopped and it felt like he was just dropped into the empty room. Which he sort of was, of course. But he recovered quickly and straightened up. He brushed himself off and glanced around the room.

Gordon dashed towards Ed, practically bouncing on his feet and slid to a stop. "Wow! That was awesome! Wasn't that awesome?"

Across the small room, Alluette crossed her arms and let out a sigh. She tilted her head back and looked up at the ceiling. "Please, whoever is listening to this, please, I beg you!" She whined. "Do _not_ assign me to the same ship as him!"

Gordon spun around and threw up his arms. "Hey! I did awesome!"

The door opened and an older, rather tall, dark haired Xelayan man stood. He framed the doorway and didn't enter. He crossed his arms and stared at the room of cadets.

"Oh shit!" Gordon ducked behind Ed. "Admiral Kaysen!" He hissed, trying to hide completely from view.

"I can see you, Cadet Malloy." The man said. "We will reconvene in one hour with the exam results." He said. "You are dismissed." The Admiral turned and left.

Gordon poked his head out. "You think he knew it was us?" He asked softly.

"Us?" Ed repeated. "That was all you."

Gordon's mouth dropped open. "You were there!" He said. "Guilty by association!"

Ral stepped closer to the pair, smiling at them. "Wanna go get something to eat?" She asked.

Ed shook his head. "No thanks." He said politely.

She eyed him for a moment. "Said you were hungry."

"Too nervous." He said. "Feel like I'd yack anything up."

She wrinkled her nose. "Gross."

Ed shrugged. "You asked."

Ral nodded her head. "Yeah, I guess I did. Though I didn't asked for details like that." She shook her head slowly and turned. "Alluette. Brunch?"

The purple humanoid nodded her head. "I could eat." She said, walking towards them. "Anything but quesadillas." She said, walking past Ed. "Because that was the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

Gordon spun around towards her. His eyes narrowed into a glare and threw up his arms. "It was _El _Quesadilla." He punctuated the name by snapping his fingers twice, very flamboyantly.

Alluette rolled her eyes and looked upwards once more. "Again. Please. Don't assign me to the same ship as him.

"Oh yeah?" Gordon retorted. "Well... uh... I hate purple! It's stupid!" He said. "You uh... look like a flower."

Ed smiled and patted Gordon on the back. "Good comeback, Gord."

"She does!" Gordon said, watching the two women walk off.

Ed shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I think it's a species thing. They always seem overly dramatic and snarky. Like perpetual teenagers."

"I hate teenagers." Gordon mumbled.

Ed laughed. "Gordon, you act like a teenager."

"Yeah! Exactly!"

Ed laughed again and shook his head. "You are something."

Gordon turned towards him and tilted his head. "Something good?" He asked. Ed smiled in answer and Gordon nodded his head. Sometimes, those were Gordon's favorite conversations with Ed. When they just looked at each other and just knew what the other was thinking or feeling. How they could have a whole conversation without moving or talking or anything. Ed turned slightly and nodded towards the door. Gordon fell in step with him as they two headed out of the room, behind everyone else.

Nearly an hour later, they were all back in the assigned classroom, where they were to meet for the results. Ed and Gordon were standing together in the corner, silently waiting. They'd been the first ones back. Ed was nervous. Too nervous to eat or leave or do anything really. He feared something happening and being late. _Again_. So he'd shoved his hands in his pockets and slowly walked the halls. Gordon followed without complaint or any words really. The two young men walked in silence until they ended up back in the classroom, the firsts there.

Ed was a complete nervous wreck. His foot was bouncing slightly, his bottom lip was between his teeth, and his hands were clenched at his sides. He tried not to worry, tried not to focus on everything he messed up in the simulation. But he couldn't help it! His stomach was in horrible knots and he knew it wasn't just the nagging hunger or the butterflies suddenly there because of Gordon's proximity. Because he wasn't going to focus on _that_ right then. He was going to focus on the exam. And how he probably tanked it and how his whole life was ruined and he was going to be kicked out and...

Gordon edged closer to Ed. A few inches to brush his shoulder against the other man's. Gordon was nervous himself. Because despite everything, he actually took the whole flying thing seriously. Well mostly. He _did_ take it seriously, but he also didn't. Because he also had fun with it. And that's what was important to him. Having fun while doing something he loved. But he also maybe sort of loved Ed. _Maybe_. Well, he certainly loved him as a friend or _something_. Or a brother or something. And after one drunken night, he wasn't going to say love. Not in the romantic sense. _Not yet._ But had he had a crush on his best friend? _Maybe._ Maybe the answer was yes. Most definitely. Probably since they met. Just a little tiny crush. _Maybe._ But whatever. That part wasn't important. The important part was the fact that Ed was freaking out and Gordon didn't like it.

Ed didn't pull away. Ed didn't even seem to notice Gordon was pressed against his side. His eyes were still on the ground, wide and worrying. And his mind was still racing with every possible outcome of tanking the exam. And none of them were appealing. Gordon watched him out of the corner of his eyes. He reached out slowly and touched his hand to Ed's. His finger's grazed the man's pulse at his wrist. Ed still didn't seem to register anything but his hand relaxed and his fingers uncurled. Gordon slowly slid his fingers down Ed's palm and twined their fingers together. That seemed to work. Ed glanced down at their joined hands. He blinked for a moment, as if his eyes needed a moment to focus, to adjust. And he did. The cloud of nerves in his mind dissipated as Gordon squeezed his hand. He felt grounded, anchored by the grip. And he was okay with that.

A few minutes later, Admiral Kaysen entered. Without any preamble or announcement. The Xelayan man was just there suddenly, his presence a little stifling. A hush fell over the room and the gathered cadets all stepped forward eagerly. "We've reviewed your exam." He said. _We_ being a team of admirals at Union Point. But he didn't explain this fact. He just assumed they all knew. Or he just didn't care. Because he didn't. "As a group collective, the exam received the highest grade this year. A perfect score."

There were cheers around the room. Ed held onto Gordon's hand tightly as hope rose in his chest. He knew there were still individual scores. But still, maybe it would turn out okay.

"Your ship came out with very minimal damage, there were zero casualties to the Union personnel, and you successfully initiated a surrender with minimal enemy casualties as well." The Admiral said, a hint of pride in his voice. "We were..." He paused for dramatic effect and a genuine smile spread across his face. _"Impressed."_ He said, stressing the word.

Cheers and applause ran through the room. A smile spread across Gordon's face. He lifted their joined hands and squeezed Ed's. "See?" He said, leaning closer when Ed glanced his way. "You're awesome." He whispered.

Ed smiled. "We are." He corrected.

"Now. Individual scores." Admiral Kaysen said, the smile falling from his face. They were public record. Both the scores and critiques for each cadet. There was no need for privacy. Although some exam proctors prefer discussing each cadet's performance privately, Admiral Kaysen was not one such proctor. He usually found it more efficient to get it all over with at once, with very little obstruction. He'd allowed them a few seconds between each for congratulations before he was on to the next. "Ral Dever. 3 points were subtracted for your attitude towards your Captain at times. Personal matters need to be kept off the bridge. Otherwise, you did an excellent job."

Ral smiled and nodded her head. "Thank you."

"Alluette Allamora. 12 points were deducted for your very clear attitude problem."

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped opened. A string of unintelligible words left her mouth. She was practically spat the words out and growled.

Kaysen tilted his head slightly. "You will remember that I am your superior officer. And I am versed in every language of the Union."

Her eyes widened and her pale purple skin darkened a few shades. She dropped her gaze to the ground.

He continued on. "You need to work on keeping yourself under control. You cannot let your... emotions get the better of you. Gordon Malloy." He said, moving onto the next fluidly.

Gordon straightened up and finally let go of Ed's hand, as everyone's attention turned to him. He stepped forward and nodded his head. "Okay. I'm ready. Let me have it." He said, lifting his hands.

Kaysen cocked an eyebrow. "Yes. We found no fault at all with your performance."

Gordon blinked for a moment, stunned. His mouth opened slowly and he tilted his head to the side. "Seriously? The flower girl lost points for bickering... with me, right?"

Kaysen nodded his head. "Yes, but none of those instances were initiated or prolonged by you."

Gordon shook his head. "But I stopped halfway through and disrupted the whole exam."

"It had no consequence on the outcome." The Admiral said. "In fact, whatever matter it involved, and I do not care to know, it seemed to alleviate some tension with your Captain and might have helped."

"Seriously?" Gordon shook his head.

"Ed Mercer." The Admiral continued, setting his eyes on the last cadet.

Ed sucked in a breath. He felt lighter, after hearing Gordon's results.

"You displayed great ease with your crew." The Admiral said. "You were not fazed by their... adverse interactions. You showed quick decision making and trust in your crew. And also showed great diplomacy with the Krill."

A smile spread across Ed's face. "Thank you, sir."

"However." The Admiral said and paused for a moment. "You and Cadet Malloy were _late_ for the exam. Extremely late. You are both docked 20 points." There were collective gasps around the room and he raised his hand. "You are dismissed. Cadets Malloy and Mercer, please remain."

The room emptied quickly until just the three men were left. Ed had staggered back a step and bumped into a desk. He leaned against it as he tried to collect himself. It wasn't as bad as tanking it. But still, it would leave him and Gordon with the lowest averages for the exam. Their final exam for the year, right before ship assignments.

Gordon wasn't as affected, at least not for himself. Honestly, it was still better than he expected for himself. He wasn't the best at exams. He figured the best he could hope for as his first assignment was some tiny, no-nothing cargo ship. And he'd just keep showing off until he got a better assignment.

Admiral Kaysen crossed the room towards them. "The collective score is a direct result of both of your performances." He said softly. His tone of voice seemed almost out of character for him. "But rules are rules. Punctuality is important. So is being well rested, sticking to a proper diet, and not being hung-over."

"Sir, we..." Ed started.

The Admiral shook his head. "I don't care about your excuses. What you do in your private time is your business. But you both need to seriously consider altering your actions when they bleed over into your professional life. Gordon." He turned towards the redhead, using the cadet's first name. "You are the best, Gordon. The best pilot in the fleet. I do not say this lightly. But you tend to lose focus and get distracted easily. You act as if it's all fun and games, you seem like you don't take it seriously."

Gordon's eyes widened and he nodded his head. "I do, sir!" He said quickly. "I take it _very_ seriously!"

"I know you do." The Admiral said. "I've worked closely with you and I've watched you over the years. But others... they'll see your rap sheet of pranks and they'll... simply watch you in person for a minute and never give you a chance to get behind the wheel."

Gordon smiled and tilted his head to the side. "Why, sir, I think that's both the nicest thing you've said to me... and the most words you've said to me."

Kaysen sighed for a moment and shook his head. He looked over at Ed next. "Ed, you are, likewise, one of the best and brightest in your class." He said. "You could be one of the best Captains in the fleet. You could have your own ship well before your 40. If you stay on track, with a clear, level head."

Ed nodded his head quickly. "I will, sir! I promise!"

The Admiral nodded his head and turned slightly. "Oh." He said, pausing and turning back to them. "I assume you two were unaware of the security cameras in the hanger."

Both their mouths dropped open. "Oh shit." They both breathed out at once.

The Admiral smiled. "You will replace the bottles of tequila you stole from me."

"Bottles?" Gordon repeated.

"There was only one, sir." Ed said.

"Yes." The man nodded. "I want one, from both of you. And I want the whole place cleaned. Top to bottom. And my hover car scrubbed. Spotless. And every penis doodled in this building and the dormitory, while you're at it, better likewise be scrubbed from existence." He turned fully towards the door. "I better not find another one, boys." He said as he strode out the door.

Gordon breathed out loudly and dramatically. Then he turned towards Ed and shrugged. "That could have gone a lot worse."

"You think so?" Ed said sourly. "Sounds pretty bad to me." He mumbled.

"I'm uh... I'm sorry." Gordon said softly.

Ed glanced up at him. "Sorry for what?"

"For making you go to the hanger with me." Gordon mumbled. "For suggesting it."

Ed frowned for a moment and shook his head. "No, no, no. You didn't make me."

"But if we weren't drunk last night, we wouldn't have been late this morning."

"Wouldn't have done a lot of things." Ed sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Gordon nodded slowly.

"Not _that_." Ed said quickly. He reached out for Gordon's hand again and laced their fingers together. "So.. uh..." He cleared his throat awkwardly and tilted his head. "Can I uh... kiss you... or something?"

Gordon raised an eyebrow. "Or something?" He repeated.

Ed rolled his eyes. "Yes or no?"

"Don't ask." Gordon said, stepping closer. "Just do." He touched his fingers to Ed's cheek and drug them along his jaw line. Ed smiled as he leaned forward to capture Gordon's lips in a soft kiss.

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

**Author's Notes:** I feel like I'm focusing too much on the classmate OC's. XD But I wanted to give the boys some classmates to annoy. *shrugs* So I feel like they're a bit necessary. XD But also, won't be around much longer. :P Plus I'm having a bit of fun with them, because they are based on members of my flock. 8D (And none of them know/watch/read The Orville so... THEY'LL NEVER KNOW!)


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